The 39th president is in state today

WASHINGTON – President Jimmy Carter’s remains arrived at the U.S. Capitol for the final time Tuesday afternoon for a service with members of Congress before the 39th president is laid in state.

Military personnel carried his flag-draped coffin into the Capitol Rotunda for members of Congress and Carter’s family to pay their respects at a service before opening the room to the public.

In the evening, a crowd formed and made its way to the Capitol to pay their last respects to the former president, who served only one term in office but left a lasting legacy as a humanitarian.

Bitter cold and strong winds resulting from a massive snowstorm made the wait unpleasant. However, the weather wasn’t enough to deter those from saying goodbye to Carter in person.

“If anyone was a saint, it was him,” said Marshall Rocke, one of the visitors in the crowd. Rocke, 60, took a train from New York to Washington to pay his respects to “one of the greatest people of all time.”

The viewing and service was followed by a solemn procession through the streets of the country’s capital. Carter’s flag-draped coffin was carried in a horse-drawn caisson from the U.S. Navy Memorial, past throngs of onlookers who braved the cold to pay their respects. Members of the Carter family followed the caisson on foot in a procession that officials said was intended to mimic its inaugural parade in 1977.

Carter’s remains were flown on an Air Force One jet from Georgia to Joint Base Andrews outside Washington on Tuesday after a ceremony in Atlanta. Members of the Carter family then accompanied his remains to Dobbins Air Reserve Base in nearby Marietta, Georgia, for a Special Air Mission 39 flight – a tribute to Carter – to Washington.

Carter is scheduled to remain in state until midnight Tuesday, then from 7 a.m. Wednesday to 7 a.m. Thursday.

Carter’s funeral is scheduled for Thursday at the Washington National Cathedral and President Joe Biden has declared Thursday a national day of mourning. Biden and President-elect Donald Trump are expected to attend the funeral.

After the funeral, Carter and his family will return to Georgia and Maranatha Baptist Church in Carter’s hometown of Plains for a private memorial service and burial.

The gentle Southern Democrat died on December 29th at the age of 100.

Jimmy Carter, 39th President, died:Was a well-known humanitarian worker

‘Rare example of a gifted man’: Vice President Harris, others pay respect

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-La., House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Vice President Kamala Harris praised Carter Tuesday night in an hour-long service attended by members of Congress and other officials at the Capitol. In attendance were Supreme Court justices including Brett Kavanaugh and Elena Kagan, as well as Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser.

Harris pointed to his achievements in office, including helping broker peace between Israel and Egypt in the form of the Camp David Accords.

She also referred to the Nobel Peace Prize winner’s outstanding legacy from his time in office.

“Jimmy Carter created a new model for what it means to be a former president,” citing his work as a humanitarian in the decades after he left the White House.

“Jimmy Carter was an all-too-rare example of a gifted man who simultaneously walked with humility, modesty and grace,” Harris said.

The United States Naval Academy Glee Club sang a rousing performance of “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee” before lawmakers, including Thune and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, presented wreaths next to Carter’s casket.

Amy Carter among family members attending the service

Carter returned to the nation’s capital with several family members, including Amy Carter, the youngest of the former president’s four children and his only daughter.

Amy Carter was born in Plains, Georgia in 1967 and later came into the public eye when the family moved into the White House in 1977.

Carter, 57, sat at the service Tuesday afternoon and wiped away tears.

The family:Jimmy Carter’s family tree extends far into the Peach State

Mourners come from all over the country

Two years ago, when Jimmy Carter died, Peggy and Preston White decided to take a road trip from Oklahoma City to Washington. They kept their promise and joined a crowd outside the Capitol on Tuesday night patiently waiting to see the former president lie in state. Peggy White, 66, has admired Carter since he became governor of her home state of Georgia. In college, she wrote an essay about his successful rise to the governorship. And when American diplomats were taken hostage in Iran in 1979, she enlisted in the Navy, the same military branch in which Carter served. “I admire him and I think he was a good president. I voted for him both times. It was really sad when he didn’t make it,” said White, a retired postal worker. “He certainly made up for it with his lifelong commitment to our nation.”

− Christopher Cann

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Carter’s remains enter the Capitol

Carter’s remains arrived at the U.S. Capitol late Tuesday afternoon for a packed service. The late president’s coffin was brought to the front steps of the building and placed in the center of the ornate rotunda after tributes took place outside, which included a 21-gun salute. Carter’s family, members of Congress and other leaders were among the solemn crowd that gathered to pay their respects.

After the break, the caissons roll again

For the soldiers and horses carrying Carter’s casket to the Capitol, Tuesday is a high-profile mission that will not fail. The Army suspended use of the caisson division in May 2023 after two horses used to transport caissons at funerals at Arlington National Cemetery died. The Army hired experts to provide advice ranging from finding the right horses for caisson duty to designing the curriculum for soldiers who care for and ride them.

Caisson rolls again:The famous military horse unit resumes operations for former President Jimmy Carter

Now the soldiers and horses have been rehearsing for months – with bands and cannon fire – to prepare them for the pomp and circumstance of a presidential funeral, said Maj. Wes Strickland, a spokesman for the Old Guard.

“We are under the microscope,” said Lt. Col. Derrick Draper, deputy commander of the regiment. “People will look for the slightest flaw. And they should be. We hold ourselves to the highest standards.” Read more here.

− Tom Vanden Brook

Services for Carter began last week

Funeral services for Carter began Saturday in Georgia, as a convoy of mourners drove from near Carter’s agricultural hometown of Plains. The solemn sound of a bell ringing 39 times broke the silence of a chilly January morning in Carter’s childhood home.

His remains were transported to the state capital, Atlanta, where he was honored in a moment of silence before a service at the Carter Center.

“An Incredible American Story”:Mourners line the streets of Plains to honor Jimmy Carter

Who was Jimmy Carter?

According to his official biography, Carter was born in Plains on October 1, 1924, the son of a farmer and a nurse. He grew up practicing archery nearby. He attended public schools, attended the U.S. Naval Academy and became a nuclear engineer, serving on the second nuclear submarine. He married Rosalynn Smith in 1946.

When his father died, Carter returned to his family farm and ran a seed and agricultural supply business in Plains. He served in the Georgia Senate before becoming governor in 1971.

Who was Jimmy Carter?The 39th President has a long tradition of service

In 1976, he ran for president as a Democrat and won, beginning his only term at age 52. As president, Carter expanded diplomatic relations abroad, invested in the energy sector and expanded national park space for Americans. However, he also oversaw inflation and an American hostage crisis that likely cost him his re-election, losing to Ronald Reagan.

After leaving office, Carter provided humanitarian assistance around the world, including in the fight against preventable diseases. In 2002, he received the Nobel Peace Prize for his work “to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, advance democracy and human rights, and promote economic and social development.”

On November 19, 2023, Rosalynn Carter died at her home in Plains. She was 96.

National day of mourning leads to closures

Following Biden’s declaration of a national day of mourning scheduled for Thursday, various organizations announced that they would close the same day in honor of Carter. Federal offices will be closed, all Postal Service retail locations will be closed, regular mail will not be delivered and package delivery will be limited.

The New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq will suspend trading of all U.S. stocks and options that day. According to an advisory from the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association, bond markets will operate at reduced hours, closing as early as 2 p.m. ET.

Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts ordered the closure of the Supreme Court building on Thursday. However, not all shops and banks that are closed on public holidays will be closed.

− Fernando Cervantes Jr.

Celebrate a remarkable life with our new book

To honor Carter’s legacy, the USA TODAY Network will publish “Jimmy Carter: Peanut Farmer, 39th President, Humanitarian” to chronicle a life that lasted ages.

Own a piece of American history with a 160-page hardcover volume from the USA TODAY Network, whose reporters and photographers cover tomorrow’s stories around the world today. You can order the book at CarterPictorialBook.com. The books will ship August 1st and are available for pre-order at a 20% discount for $31.95 plus tax and shipping. Upon release, the retail price will be $39.95.

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The 39th president is in state today

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